Helping Treat and Beat Breast Cancer

SLUCare's Breast Team Delivers Expertise at Every Level of Care

About one in eight women in the U.S. will develop invasive breast cancer in their
lifetime. More than 232,000 new cases were diagnosed last year, and about 40,000 women
died. But the expert team at Saint Louis University Cancer Center, staffed with specialists
from SLUCare Physician Group, helps women treat and beat the disease.

Some women are more comfortable being treated by female physicians at this vulnerable
time in their lives, and SLUCare's all-female breast cancer team is at their service.
"This is a patient-centered culture," notes radiologist Dr. Debbie Bennett, director of breast imaging at SLUCare and assistant professor of radiology at SLU
School of Medicine. "Not all cancers are the same. We work together to design an individualized
treatment plan around your unique needs." Bennett specializes in breast screening
and diagnostic evaluation, including mammography, ultrasound and MRI. "If I see something
worrisome, I'll perform a biopsy and recommend surgery, if need be," she explains.
"If it's good news, that's awesome! If not, we'll support you and your family with
kindness and compassion-and fight your cancer with everything we've got."

SLUCare's integrated breast cancer team coordinates patient care throughout treatment
and follow-up, minimizing inconvenience and stress while helping women achieve the
best possible outcome. "We provide everything you need in an easy-to-navigate setting,"
says surgical oncologist Dr. Theresa Schwartz, assistant professor of surgery at SLU. The team includes radiologists, surgeons,
radiation and medical oncologists, pathologists, geneticists, dietitians, social workers,
cancer educators, and plastic surgeons who specialize in breast reconstruction. "We
communicate with each other constantly," Schwartz says. "Helping patients win their
fight against breast cancer while collaborating with such a dedicated group is incredibly
rewarding."

Now we have the option to remove just the affected tissue and a few nodes, if that's
the patient's choice. Women do just as well, with fewer side effects.”

Women with breast cancer now have more treatment options than ever before, she adds.
"It used to be common practice to remove the entire breast and all the lymph nodes,
which resulted in severe side effects and didn't necessarily increase the chances
of survival. Now we have the option to remove just the affected tissue and a few nodes,
if that's the patient's choice. Women do just as well, with fewer side effects." Today's
chemotherapy and radiation treatments, which target malignant cells and spare healthy
tissue, are more effective and tolerable than ever, she adds.

And treatment for some cancers may become even less invasive in the future, Bennett
notes. "Methods to destroy tumors by freezing or heating cancerous cells are now being
studied," she says. SLU's standing as an academic medical center ensures that the
latest research is rapidly translated into patient care, she adds. But SLUCare's Cancer
Center offers more than expertise and high-tech treatments. "You are not a ‘case'
to us, or a body part that needs to be radiated or removed," she says. "You're a woman.
At SLUCare, we treat the whole person. Our goal is not only to keep you alive, but
also to keep you healthy and thriving, so you can live the life you want to live."